Pincelli C, Yaar M
Department of Dermatology, University of Modena, Italy.
J Investig Dermatol Symp Proc. 1997 Aug;2(1):31-6. doi: 10.1038/jidsymp.1997.8.
Work in the past 10 y has greatly expanded our knowledge regarding the role of neurotrophins and, in particular, nerve growth factor, in skin. During fetal development, neurotrophins are expressed both in the mesenchyme and the epithelium of developing skin, and they play a trophic role supporting the survival of innervating neurons. Nerve growth factor appears to have an important role also in the adult organism. It serves as a regulatory molecule during skin inflammation and repair, affecting both the neuronal and the immune systems. Recent studies also suggest that nerve growth factor is an important autrocrine growth factor and survival factor for keratinocytes, cells that express both high- and low-affinity receptors for nerve growth factor. Neural crest-derived melanocytes also express receptors for nerve growth factor. Nerve growth factor appears to have a major role during skin injury, e.g., preventing melanocyte apoptotic cell death following UV irradiation. Thus, epidermal events interact to maintain the number and function of both melanocytes and keratinocytes in skin. These recent insights into the mechanisms underlying nerve growth factor effects in skin may eventually result in the development of novel therapeutic modalities.
过去10年的研究极大地扩展了我们对神经营养因子，尤其是神经生长因子在皮肤中作用的认识。在胎儿发育过程中，神经营养因子在发育中皮肤的间充质和上皮中均有表达，它们发挥营养作用，支持支配神经元的存活。神经生长因子在成年生物体中似乎也具有重要作用。它在皮肤炎症和修复过程中作为一种调节分子，影响神经元和免疫系统。最近的研究还表明，神经生长因子是角质形成细胞重要的自分泌生长因子和存活因子，角质形成细胞表达神经生长因子的高亲和力和低亲和力受体。神经嵴来源的黑素细胞也表达神经生长因子受体。神经生长因子在皮肤损伤过程中似乎起主要作用，例如，防止紫外线照射后黑素细胞凋亡性细胞死亡。因此，表皮事件相互作用以维持皮肤中黑素细胞和角质形成细胞的数量和功能。这些对神经生长因子在皮肤中作用机制的最新见解最终可能导致新型治疗方法的开发。
